NURS 3175 PHARMACOLOGY STUDY 2024 UPDATED
- drug – any chemical that affects the physiological processes of a living
organism
- pharmacology – study or science of drugs
- drugs will have 3 different name
o chemical name – describes drug’s chemical composition and
molecular structure
o generic name – often much shorter and simpler than the chemical
name; is used in most official drug compendium to list drugs
o trade name – proprietary name, is the drug’s registered trademark
and indicates that its commercial use is restricted to the owner of the
patent of the drug
▪ patent owner is usually the manufacturer of the drug
- drug classification – drugs grouped together based on their similar
properties
o drugs can be classified by their structure or by their therapeutic use
- 3 basic areas of pharmacology
o pharmaceutics – study of how various dosage forms influence the
way in which the drug affects the body
o pharmacokinetics – the study of what the body does to the drug
▪ involves the processes of absorbtion, distribution, metabolism
and excretion
o pharmacodynamics – study of what the dryg does to the body
▪ involves drug-receptor relationships
- pharmacotherapeutics – focuses on the clinical use of drugs to prevent and
treat diseases
, - drug actions – the cellular processes that change in response to the presence
of drug molecules
o some drug mechanisms of action are more clearly understood than
others
o the US Food and Drug Administration regulates the approval and
clinical use of all drugs in the United States including the requirement
of an expiration date on all drugs
- toxicology- study of the adverse effects if the drugs and other chemicals on
living systems
- pharmacognosy – the study of natural (versus synthetic) drug sources (i.e.
plants, animals)
- pharmaceutics
o dosage form determines the rate at which drug dissolution occurs
o dissolution – the process by which solid forms of drugs disintegrate
in the gastrointestinal tract and become soluble before being
absorbed into the circulation
o oral drugs that are liquids are already dissolved and are usually
absorbed more quickly than solids
o enteric-coated tablets have a coating that prevents them from being
broken down in the acidic pH environment of the stomach and
therefore are not absorbed until they reach the higher (more alkaline)
pH of the intestines. This makes them have slower dissolution and
therefore slower absorptions
o particle size within a tablet or capsule can make different dosage
forms of the same drug dissolve at different rates
o combination dosage forms contain multiple drugs in one dose.
▪ Ex. Cholesterol and antihypertensive medicines
o Extended release tablets and capsules release dug molecules in the
patient’s GI tract over a prolonged period of time. This ultimately
prolongs drug absorption as well as duration of action, This is the
opposite of immediate release dosage forms which release all of the
active ingredient immediately upon dissolution in the GI –tract
▪ Ex of extended release nomenclature are SR, SA, CR. XL and XT
▪ Convenience of administration correlates strongly with patient
adherence because these forms often require fewer daily doses
▪ Extended release medicines must not be crushed as this could
cause accelerated release of drug from the dosage form and
possible toxicity
▪ Crushing could also disrupt the tablet coating designed to
protect the stomach lining from the local effects of the drug
and/or protect the drug from being prematurely disrupted by
stomach acid
▪ Granules contained in capsules are usually for extended drug
release and normally should not be crushed or chewed by the
- drug – any chemical that affects the physiological processes of a living
organism
- pharmacology – study or science of drugs
- drugs will have 3 different name
o chemical name – describes drug’s chemical composition and
molecular structure
o generic name – often much shorter and simpler than the chemical
name; is used in most official drug compendium to list drugs
o trade name – proprietary name, is the drug’s registered trademark
and indicates that its commercial use is restricted to the owner of the
patent of the drug
▪ patent owner is usually the manufacturer of the drug
- drug classification – drugs grouped together based on their similar
properties
o drugs can be classified by their structure or by their therapeutic use
- 3 basic areas of pharmacology
o pharmaceutics – study of how various dosage forms influence the
way in which the drug affects the body
o pharmacokinetics – the study of what the body does to the drug
▪ involves the processes of absorbtion, distribution, metabolism
and excretion
o pharmacodynamics – study of what the dryg does to the body
▪ involves drug-receptor relationships
- pharmacotherapeutics – focuses on the clinical use of drugs to prevent and
treat diseases
, - drug actions – the cellular processes that change in response to the presence
of drug molecules
o some drug mechanisms of action are more clearly understood than
others
o the US Food and Drug Administration regulates the approval and
clinical use of all drugs in the United States including the requirement
of an expiration date on all drugs
- toxicology- study of the adverse effects if the drugs and other chemicals on
living systems
- pharmacognosy – the study of natural (versus synthetic) drug sources (i.e.
plants, animals)
- pharmaceutics
o dosage form determines the rate at which drug dissolution occurs
o dissolution – the process by which solid forms of drugs disintegrate
in the gastrointestinal tract and become soluble before being
absorbed into the circulation
o oral drugs that are liquids are already dissolved and are usually
absorbed more quickly than solids
o enteric-coated tablets have a coating that prevents them from being
broken down in the acidic pH environment of the stomach and
therefore are not absorbed until they reach the higher (more alkaline)
pH of the intestines. This makes them have slower dissolution and
therefore slower absorptions
o particle size within a tablet or capsule can make different dosage
forms of the same drug dissolve at different rates
o combination dosage forms contain multiple drugs in one dose.
▪ Ex. Cholesterol and antihypertensive medicines
o Extended release tablets and capsules release dug molecules in the
patient’s GI tract over a prolonged period of time. This ultimately
prolongs drug absorption as well as duration of action, This is the
opposite of immediate release dosage forms which release all of the
active ingredient immediately upon dissolution in the GI –tract
▪ Ex of extended release nomenclature are SR, SA, CR. XL and XT
▪ Convenience of administration correlates strongly with patient
adherence because these forms often require fewer daily doses
▪ Extended release medicines must not be crushed as this could
cause accelerated release of drug from the dosage form and
possible toxicity
▪ Crushing could also disrupt the tablet coating designed to
protect the stomach lining from the local effects of the drug
and/or protect the drug from being prematurely disrupted by
stomach acid
▪ Granules contained in capsules are usually for extended drug
release and normally should not be crushed or chewed by the
